Activity

Activity Description

The Institute of Medicine, through its Food and Nutrition Board, conducted a 24-month study that was a thorough and comprehensive review of the evidence base for the safety of ingredients new to oral formulas for term infants.

The methods currently used to assess the safety of ingredients new to infant formula were evaluated. The extent to which subsequent scientific study designs can enhance the existing methods were determined. A report was produced that included a description of the current methods used to evaluate the safety of ingredients new to infant formulas and possible new study designs that are practical and reasonable and that needed to be considered to better evaluate the safety of these ingredients. In addition, the report  evaluated the proposed approach to the specific situation of adding long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and possible other ingredients to infant formulas for use in term infants.